BRIDGEPORT — Bridgeport Public Schools plans to tap nearly $2 million in federal COVID-related aid to replace the aging air conditioning and heating system at James J. Curiale School. 
The new HVAC system will be installed over the summer and is expected to serve the K-8 school in the city’s West End for at least for the next two decades, according to Jorge Garcia, a district official who oversees school facilities. 
In a recent school board meeting, Garcia said the existing air conditioning system at Curiale has become so outdated that maintenance officials have struggled to locate and purchase new parts to replace damaged ones.  
 

A vacant field right next to the current Deer Park Elementary School in Baltimore County will transform into Maryland’s first net-zero elementary school by 2025.

County and state leaders joined Deer Park students and staff to break ground on the $70.6-million-dollar project on Monday morning, wearing white and yellow construction hats to mark the occasion.

Superintendent Myriam Rogers said the new school will serve as a leading example for state environmental efforts, by producing and saving as much – or more – energy than it uses each year.

“You will see solar paneling on the roof, geothermal heating in the boiler room, smart technology that monitors when lights are on and off and when electric plugs can be used,” Rogers said. “I’m especially interested in seeing the school's light tubes, which will be used to import natural sunlight to use in classrooms instead of artificial lighting.”

Three other net-zero schools exist in Maryland. Two serve kindergarten through eighth grade students in Baltimore City. Wilde Lake Middle School in Howard County became the first net-zero school constructed in the state in 2017.

The new Deer Park school will also alleviate enrollment pressures in a rapidly-growing community, Rogers said.

GREENWICH — Hamilton Avenue School is heated and cooled with a geothermal system — at least, it should be.
“The system that's there failed across the board,” Greenwich Public Schools facilities director Dan Watson told the Board of Estimate and Taxation budget committee on Nov. 8. “We have experts telling us that it wasn't installed right, it wasn't operated right, it wasn't probably designed right.”
The Board of Education needs to replace the bad geothermal system and it is seeking $3.2 million to do so. Watson and other schools officials are also asking that the town not use geothermal at Hamilton Avenue or at other schools in the future, primarily because current staff are not well versed in these systems.
 

When Francis Galicia, a student in Rockland County, N.Y., arrives at their high school for class each morning, they cannot help but notice that something vital is missing.
“We don’t have access to running water,” Francis said, referring to the lack of drinkable water from fountains.
Francis' high school is part of the East Ramapo Central School District, which shut off many drinking water fountains in 2016 after lead was detected. The problem was traced to the school's water fixtures. Francis was in fourth grade at the time, but seven years later the water fountains in question remain inoperable.
The district says the issue is being addressed and that they are working to replace water fountains. In the interim, the students are being provided with bottled water on a daily basis.
But Francis says the water coolers sometimes run out as the temperature rises.
“They don't acknowledge the fact that we're struggling,” Francis told ABC News. “But now I'm here telling you that we are struggling.”
East Ramapo is not the only school system that has experienced issues with lead in its water. For years, concerns have surfaced over lead in water pipes and fixtures in public schools across the country.
 

PUYALLUP, Wash. — The Puyallup School District is one of many school districts across the state preparing to meet the requirements of the Washington state's Clean Buildings Act. 
The district said the requirements accelerate the need for work already being pursued, but there are some challenges in regards to funding. The district is hopeful voters will support its efforts. 
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Commerce is offering one-on-one assistance and other resources to try to help building operators meet the requirements passed by legislators.
The Clean Buildings Act passed in 2019 and expanded in 2022. It is meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the state's largest buildings. The original legislation applies to buildings over 50,000 square feet, and requires them to evaluate energy use in the building, keep maintenance and operations plans, and make adjustments to buildings to reduce energy use if they are over target amounts. The expanded legislation applies to buildings between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet, and for now only requires benchmarking and maintenance and operations planning. There are some exemptions, including for manufacturing, agriculture and industrial buildings. In many cases, incentives, and financing help are available. 
 

IDAHO FALLS — An Ada County District Judge issued an order on Wednesday voiding the latest Idaho Falls School District 91 plant facilities levy.
Voters overwhelmingly passed the 10-year $33 million levy in May to build a new elementary school on the south side of Idaho Falls.
According to Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal, the court “adopted the determination by the Idaho State Tax Commission that Idaho Falls School District 91 could not have a second plant facilities levy until a similar levy passed in 2022 expires.”
Idaho law says districts can have one levy fund. At that time, the district and its legal counsel interpreted that to mean the district could have two plant levies – one for the new school and one that has been used for the maintenance of schools – if the levies both go into one fund.
However, in August, the Tax Commission challenged that interpretation.
District 91’s Board of Trustees filed a complaint with the courts “seeking a declaration of the interpretation of the statutes in question,” the board said in a news release at the time.
 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced a new $876,792 federal grant for the Rhode Island Department of Education – RIDE school modernization , preventing environmental health risks, improving maintenance, and planning long-term, under the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure Grant Program.

With this funding, RIDE’s School Building Authority would increase necessary supports to assist local education agencies (LEAs) with improving building conditions and educational environments for students and teachers. Additional staff would coordinate energy efficiency and air quality audits, while aiding districts with procurement, technical assistance, and professional development.

Senator Reed helped the U.S. Department of Education recently launch the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure Grant Program to enhance the ability of state departments of education to address school facilities matters.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - The Edwardsville school board voted this week to approved the issuance of $13 million dollars in bonds to pay for the installation of solar panels on school buildings. The district plans to install collections of solar panels in 10 places on 7 buildings.
Some taxpayers in the district were uncomfortable with the initial cost but others saw the long range benefits.
“I think long term as an investment it sounds like a good idea,” said Jackie Toigo.
Stephanie Crouch told First Alert Four, ‘I think anything we can do to harness the power of the sun and nature is fantastic.”
The district estimates the use of solar energy will lead to 40-60% savings on electric bills over the 30 life of the panels.
According to Generation 180′s 2022 Solar Schools Report, the number of schools powered by solar energy has tripled since 2015. And an estimated 6-million students attend solar powered schools.
The school district’s decision is part of a proliferation of solar panels in the region.
Debbie Evans installed solar panels on her Edwardsville house in March. She said she has no regrets.
 

Launched for the upcoming World Toilet Day, the research supported by Unilever, identifies urgent need for school toilet maintenance. The cost of neglecting toilets has now hit $1.9bn in lost infrastructure, with an additional hidden economic cost estimated at over $10bn.
But an extra cent per education dollar would help countries get clean and safe toilets for all school children by 2030.
Nearly 540 million children globally go to a school with no usable toilet, affecting them physically and emotionally during crucial education years. New research from Economist Impact reveals that almost half of these children are affected by ‘toilet loss’ - toilets have been built in their school, but they have been lost and are not usable due to lack of operation and maintenance (O&M). This hidden worldwide problem puts school infrastructure maintenance sharply in focus.
Economist Impact’s year-long study supported by Unilever across Ecuador, India, Nigeria and the Philippines found that poor maintenance led to 1.2 million ‘lost’ school toilets; that’s toilets that have been built but are no longer usable. This equates to a combined infrastructure loss of US$1.9 billion and a societal and economic cost amounting to US$10 billion. The four countries, indicative of others worldwide, could be 10% closer to the goal of providing all children access to usable school toilets if toilet construction had been supported by maintenance.
 

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved more than $195.7 million in bond-funded projects to provide upgraded, state-of-the-art facilities.

The board approved $45 million for the development of wellness centers at Los Angeles High School and Wilmington Middle School STEAM Magnet. Wellness centers are LAUSD-built facilities operated by independent medical providers and partners who focus on prevention, education, early intervention and screening. The wellness centers will offer free and low-cost comprehensive medical, dental and mental health services for students, families and community members.

The 32nd Street USC Magnets School was also approved for a $108 million major modernization project. The multi-phase project will construct 23 new general and specialty classrooms including media, filmmaking, engineering and graphic design spaces, as well as a chemistry lab.

Val Kalahiki isn’t sure her students know what a fire alarm sounds like. In November 2019, Konawaena Elementary’s fire alarm system broke, and it hasn’t been replaced, said Kalahiki, who runs the after-school program at the Hawaii island school. 

In the case of a fire, the main office can use the loudspeaker system to inform students and teachers, Kalahiki said. But after the main office closes at 4:30 p.m., Kalahiki said she has to remain extra vigilant as she oversees 130 students who remain on campus for the after-school program. 

“Where is the state putting all of our money if they can’t even protect our kids?” Kalahiki said.

Her school is one of over two dozen that lacks a working fire alarm, according to Department of Education estimates.

PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Three Ford County superintendents are discussing a one percent sales tax referendum for the March or November ballot in 2024.
The leaders of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, and Tri-Point school districts want to put the money toward school resource officers and mental health providers.
PBL Superintendent Travis Duley said most of the money currently comes from property taxes, but if this vote passes, the tax burden would be shared with people visiting or passing through Ford County. He said the tax would not affect vehicles, groceries or farm equipment. He also said a sales tax is an untapped resource of revenue and an opportunity to improve facilities.
 

Declining birth rates have driven a significant reduction in school-aged children in the state. Some districts are seeing an outflow of students due to high home prices and rent.
Colorado’s school population has declined by about 30,000 students since a peak of 913,223 in 2019. Some areas are declining fast, while others are growing rapidly. And it may be a while before the birth rate rebounds.
And it’s not just Colorado. Nationally, enrollment has fallen mostly due to declining birth rates over the past decade.
That has meant districts have been forced to shut down schools — Jefferson County shut down 16 elementary schools last year.
Several listeners like Glenn Straziar, Dave Pence, and others wondered: What’s happening with all the buildings?
School districts are taking a variety of approaches to what to do with the closed buildings, including repurposing them for other district uses or even selling them, which has its own challenges. 
Many are repurposed for magnet schools or early childhood centers — and some communities would prefer a park with a pool. Some districts need money from the real estate they’re sitting on. The last school that Denver Public Schools sold turned into a parking lot. Here’s a look at what districts are doing with all their empty buildings.

The San Antonio Independent School District board of trustees voted 5-2 Monday to close 15 schools and merge others, capping a four-month process that will shutter over 15% of the shrinking urban school district’s educational facilities.
Trustees voted, after a lengthy discussion, on a list of closures and mergers finalized by district staff that was formulated based on student enrollment, facility usage and cost per pupil. The moves are designed to better align the district’s resources with the student population. 
Trustees Art Valdez, Christina Martinez, Alicia Sebastian, Leticia Ozuna and Ed Garza voted for the measure while Stephanie Torres and Sarah Sorensen voted against it. 
Before the vote, Sorensen attempted to remove six schools from the closure list, and then two, but both adjustments failed on 5-2 votes.
Parents, teachers and community members continued to protest the closures until the final hour, with 57 speakers signing up to comment during the meeting, mostly in opposition to the closures. 
Many pointed to an equity audit that, among other findings, explored past school closures in the district, which resulted in academic declines. 
 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The annual statewide school safety report shows areas of improvement remain.
The report was released by the state Department of Education last week.
The safety measure requirements for each school defined in the report include hiring a school resource officer, installing weapon detection systems, upgrading school building’s doors and windows, among other measures.
State School Facilities Director Micah Whitlow said during the state BOE meeting that the administration at each school has been instructed to report back to the department regarding any updates to their school’s safety and security measures, and the department has compiled the data based on what they have received from each school’s assessment this year.
 

The Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) released its 30-day project list for public schools within the St. Croix School District in October. This list was comprised of maintenance repairs and ongoing projects that were actively being managed by the operations, facilities and maintenance divisions of the St. Croix District. As part of the Department of Education’s commitment to transparency, it is sharing updates on the status of these outlined projects with the public.

Each school had its own specific set of projects to be accomplished within the 30-day timeframe. The detailed documents, which include the project type and status for each school, can be accessed online at www.vide.vi or via the Virgin Islands Department of Education’s Facebook page.

Considering the nature of these projects, multiple phases are involved before work can commence for some tasks. Some projects necessitated the solicitation of bids, development of scopes of work, securing of contracts, execution of purchase orders and requests made to the United States Department of Education for the reappropriation of federal funds.

The process from start to finish for certain projects is still ongoing.

Gov. Phil Murphy promises $51.9 million of federal money for New Jersey preschools.
The Murphy Administration said the money is going to 23 school districts to support 30 projects that will enable the creation, expansion and renovation of preschool facilities statewide. This is money that goes back to the American Rescue Plan that was passed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy made the announcement Thursday while appearing at the teachers' union convention. In a statement, Murphy said the funding will enable more districts to expand their capacity to offer full-day preschool programming to more students.
“Equitable access to early childhood education across the board is key to ensuring the long-term success of our children and our state as a whole. My administration will continue to work toward bringing free, full-day pre-K to every district throughout New Jersey,” Murphy said in statement.

“This does not impact every student,” explained Superintendent Denise Watts, Ed.D., of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) Long-Range Facilities Plan.

According to SCCPSS, the plan "calls for the shifting of attendance zone boundaries for a number of schools, as well as the closure of two schools and repurposing of those facilities. The changes will also better align school attendance boundaries to improve transportation efficiencies and reduce the distances many students currently travel to school.”

In other words, hundreds of students' and families' assigned schools will change.

“This does not impact every school or every family,” Watts continued while speaking at a press conference on Nov. 6, at the Whitney Administrative Complex, 2 Laura Ave. She introduced the plan at the Nov. 1 School Board Informal Session, and the plan will be voted on at the next board meeting on Dec. 6.  She stressed that stakeholders should understand that only certain groups of families will be affected by shifting facilities based on where they live. SCCPSS.com has a dedicated Family Planning Guide available for review online.

ODESSA — Delma Abalos was stunned.
In the years she has served as a vice president of the school board in Ector County, there was never enough cash to pay for every pressing maintenance repair that came up. She would fret over every loose wire, broken air conditioning unit, or portable classroom, never mind building new facilities.
The lifelong Odessan had attempted over the last decade to bring together her community to create a blueprint she and the school board would translate into a bond proposal, one of few ways schools can obtain cash for large-scale infrastructure projects by asking voters to approve new debt.
Voters said no. Until Tuesday night.
Ector County voters surprised Abalos this week when they approved the school board’s plea for over $400 million to finance extensive upkeep in the local schools, which public school officials and civic leaders have said was long overdue.
“It’s unbelievable,” Abalos said at the school district’s watch party. “But now the real work starts.”
Similar scenes took place across Texas as school leaders crowded around laptops examining results of bond elections trickle in. Seventy-five Texas school districts put bond measures on the ballot, asking voters to allow districts to borrow nearly $18 billion, according to the Texas Bond Review Board.
According to an early analysis of results by The Texas Tribune, at least 50% of those proposals passed and some 30% failed. Failed bond proposals included the construction of new athletic facilities, such as swimming pools and football stadiums, and some new school buildings.
 

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Families with kids in Grand Rapids Public Schools will find out next week what schools could close or be renovated during a special meeting, following overwhelming support for the district’s $305 million bond on Tuesday.
The bond plan aims to improve facilities and provide a better learning environment for students. GRPS is moving into the next phase of its ongoing campus restructuring plan. Funding from the bond will support an effort to consolidate and reorganize resources to “right-size” the district for a smaller student body.
Superintendent Leadriane Roby said the election results signaled a major vote of confidence from GRPS families, as the district works to serve its children in more effective, efficient and equitable ways and ensure students have the best educational experience.
The bond passed with 16,440 yes votes (74%) to 5,720 no votes (25%), according to unofficial election results from the Kent County Clerk’s Office.